how to get past silent treatment from my 11 year old

[Anonymous]

I would let him find out that not communicating with parents costs him a lot more than it costs you. Don't meet his needs unless he asks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be worried most about screen addiction. He couldn't let the phone go even for an evening. The rest of his behavior reflects that reality.

Or maybe he was just frustrated with being subjected to arbitrary, thoughtless rules and mandates coming down from adults in his life that aren't even his parents. This isn't an ES teacher's call to make. Were they trying to recreate Ye Olden Times or what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would let him find out that not communicating with parents costs him a lot more than it costs you. Don't meet his needs unless he asks.

+1 I don't grovel to my kids - don't feed the bad behavior. You did nothing wrong.
Others stating you need therapy for the slap threat need to calm down. We all loose our temper, doesn't mean it's a a pattern or issue, geez.

[Anonymous]

OP, come back. Is your DS talking again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The first issue for me here is a teacher dictating what my kid can do as far as using screens after school. We are a low screen family but this assignment would irk me and I probably would have said DD didnt have to do it.

Having said that, you went through with it and now your kid is being a disrespectful jerk. I would tell him he has X amount of time to get himself together and act like a human being or his life is in for a drastic change. Losing the phone permanently is on the table if he continues this. If he doesnt want to talk he can go straight to his room when he gets home and stay there until bedtime.
I wouldnt put up with it.

Really?!!

Can you not see that this assignment was EXACTLY what this child and family needed? He (and other children) are dangerously, destructively addicted. The teacher was teaching a valuable digital citizenship lesson.

It is pathetic that your first instinct is to see a teacher as an enemy and feel put upon because an assignment seems to infringe upon your absolute right to control how much you spoil your child. That kind of undermining of teachers by parents is why behavior is our of control in so many schools.